


Conflict

by al-damnvers (Missanna444)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex is gonna be a lil bit sad at first, F/F, Soccer AU, Some Swearing, because angst, really hella gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-06 01:51:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20283430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missanna444/pseuds/al-damnvers
Summary: Your average soccer AU that's just really gay.Alex Danvers is a star soccer player for National City, where she plays on the same team with her sister. Still hurting from a devastating break up, it seems like nothing can make her feel good again. That is, until she meets their new PR manager, Lena Luthor. What starts out as fixing her reputation the public eye, turns to much more when she finds herself opening up to the youngest Luthor.I don't actually know a ton about soccer or publicity or whatever, so just bear with me.





	1. Chapter 1

_ Knock. Knock. Knock. _

“What the hell…”

_ Knock. Knock. Knock.  _ Louder this time.

“Go away… Some people like to sleep, for fuck’s sake,” spoken, muffled, into a hotel pillow.

_ Knock. Knock. Knock.  _ This time, the knocking on the door was accompanied by a shout of, “Alex Danvers, get your ass up right now!”

That, somehow, seemed to get Alex out of bed. Angry, she walked to the door of her room to open it, only to open it too hard and nearly hit herself with it. 

“Lucy, it’s like three in the morning and I feel like I’m half dead, what do you want?” She glared at her best friend through eyes that were still half-closed, her short hair a mess and half in her face. It would have been an amusing sight if it weren’t for the reason Lucy Lane was standing in front of her.

“It’s eight o’clock, Danvers. You wanna tell me where we’re supposed to be in an hour?” 

If Alex felt any fear when she realized, she hid it instantaneously. “The… the meeting. We’ve got a new player, right?” 

“Yeah. And a new PR manager. In case you’re wondering, showing up late and hungover is not going to make you look good in anyone’s eyes, least of all J’onn’s.”

“I’m not--”

“You are. Get your butt into uniform and meet me in the lobby in ten minutes. You’re so lucky I bought breakfast for you before I headed over here.” 

Alex rolled her eyes. She loved Lucy like a sister, but she wasn’t a fan of the tough love this morning. Without a word, she shut the door in Lucy’s face and stumbled across the room to get her uniform on. She looked down at the starting-to-fade words as she tugged on the dark blue shirt.  _ National City Wolves _ . Couldn’t they come up with a better mascot? What did wolves have to do with National City? Did National City even  _ have _ wolves? She debated the answers to such questions as she headed down the hallway to the elevator. 

An hour later, Alex and Lucy showed up at the practice field just in time to interrupt J’onn’s typical pre-practice speech. Lucy went straight for the group gathered around him, while Alex tried to sneak in unnoticed. Whether it was because he had a sixth sense or he worried about Alex like she was his own daughter, he noticed her immediately and without turning around. 

“Nice of you to join us, Alex.” J’onn said, causing her to stop her sneaking around act and just stand with everyone else.

“Lucy walked in late, too.” She commented.

“I sent her to come get you. I thought you might need a little support.”

Ouch. That hurt. Lucy shot her an apologetic glance.

J’onn continued, “We all know it hurts, Alex, but you’re still part of this team. You’re expected to be here on time and sober.” 

“Yes, sir.” Alex nodded. It was then that she noticed the two women standing in front of J’onn and facing the rest of the team. One of them was wearing a brand new uniform while the other was dressed in unnecessarily formal clothing. 

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet two new members of our team. Our newest player is Samantha Arias. She’s joining us fresh from the Metropolis team. And next to her is our new PR manager, Lena Luthor. You’ll have time to chat with them after practice. For now, we need to get started on reviewing some defensive plays.” J’onn told them. The team nodded and scattered to their positions on the field. Alex headed to take her spot, but was stopped by J’onn’s hand on her arm. She glanced over at her coach, suddenly afraid of getting in trouble. The look on his face, however, was simply one of concern. 

“How are you, Alex? How are you holding up?” He asked, lowering his tone so that no one could hear. 

“I’m fine. Really, I’m just peachy.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone. J’onn just looked at her, unfazed.

“It’s okay to not be okay. You were with her for a long time, a loss like this is hard to get over--”

“She didn’t fucking die, J’onn.”

“-- and it’s okay if you need help. But I suggest finding other ways to cope than that beer you like. You’re still a member of this team. If you don’t clean up your act, you know you can’t play anymore. I don’t want that to happen, and I know you don’t either. Take some painkillers and sit on the bench until after the break. If you’re feeling better by then, you can join practice.”

Alex nodded and turned away, walking towards the small medical tent they’d set up.

“Teacher’s pet, are you?” A voice asked as she passed by. Alex said nothing, just raised her middle finger and kept walking, leaving Lena Luthor smirking behind her. She didn’t even hear the click of Lena’s camera. 

Lena had heard a great deal about Alex’s reputation. Who hadn’t? Her recent drinking spree had been on the cover of every tabloid for at least a week. Though, considering that Alex hadn’t really appeared in the tabloids until then, Lena suspected that there was much more to her than partying. But with the way Alex had just acted, it only made her wonder. 

Lena watched the women practice, snapping a few photos, mostly action shots and whatever else might be good to keep them looking good to the public. At one point, from a distance, she saw Alex talking with another teammate, a blonde. Kara Danvers. Lena blinked in surprise. It had never occurred to her that the two had the same last name. Were they sisters? They didn't look anything alike, but their physicality and familial manner around each other made it seem possible. She took a few pictures. The public would die for a story of sisters taking on the soccer world together, that was for sure. During a break, Lena stepped back onto the field and approached the blonde. Alex had stormed off somewhere, so she wasn't exactly available to talk to. 

"You're Lena, right?" Kara asked as the woman approached. 

"I am. And you're Kara." 

"I am! It's so wonderful to meet you! Sam was talking about all the really cool things you did for the Metropolis team awhile back. I had no idea that all of that amazing press they got was your idea!" 

Lena paused, a little stunned by Kara's bubbly personality. It certainly was the opposite of her persona on the field. "Yes, some of that was my idea, but they were a great team to work with. I certainly can't take all of the credit." 

"Really? The way Sam tells it…" 

"I've known Sam for years, she always likes to make me look better than I am. We're good friends." 

"Well, she can't make you look good if you don't already have the talent in you." Kara pointed out. Lena looked surprised at the compliment. 

"Well, thank you. Do you mind if I ask you a question?" 

"Of course not! What's up?" Kara smiled. 

"Are you and Alex sisters? Same last name, sure, but you don't look alike. I'm sorry if that seems like an intrusive question. But if you are sisters, that would make a great story to put out there." 

"Oh? Well, yeah, we're sisters. I was adopted, but Alex's family took me in and we ended up as close as real sisters. That's nothing new, though, the fans know we're technically related." 

"Right. But it would appeal to a lot of people to see that their favorite competitive team has some heart and soul to it. Besides, the pictures I got of the two of you are absolutely heartwarming. The Danvers sisters are a force to be reckoned with." Lena smiled and showed Kara the pictures. Kara beamed with excitement as she looked through them. 

"Wow! You sure are good at this… Can you send me some copies? I'm sure Alex would love to see these. I mean, you can show her yourself, but she's not exactly in a talking mood." She said carefully. It was clear that she knew what was causing Alex’s personality shift the past few weeks, but didn’t want to say.

“Of course. Is Alex usually… like this?” Lena asked gently. 

“No. She’s usually the kindest, most loving and understanding person I’ve ever met.” Kara frowned, watching her sister sit in the corner by herself. Lena followed her gaze. Though they were all the way across the field, she could see that Alex was deeply upset. Whatever was going on in her life, the worried look on Kara’s face seemed appropriate. Finally, Kara looked back at Lena and spoke again. “What does this mean for our publicity?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Alex is one of the biggest stars on the team. If the public sees how she’s acting right now, they might start making assumptions and-- they don’t know the full story, okay?” 

“They never do know the full story, do they? Perhaps the story about you two being sisters will help a bit. It’ll get them to see that you two have heart, and so does this team. Talk to Alex about it. See what she thinks. I don’t want to invade her privacy.” 

After a few more moments of talking, Kara headed off to continue practice. Alex headed over as well and Lena found herself watching. On the field, Alex’s focus and skill made it hard to believe that she was going through anything in her personal life. She had layers, Lena could see that much. And, despite their brief interaction earlier, Lena was almost excited to see who she truly was. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Interviews and a photo shoot?” Alex asked with a raised eyebrow as she sat at a table with Lena and Kara. “Why?”

“Well, to be quite honest, I think the two elements will work together to break the story. In the interviews, you two can talk about growing up together, how you both got into soccer, what it’s like to be on the same team, things like that. Your fans already know you two have familial chemistry. They love that, so let’s play off of it.” Lena said, then took a sip of her coffee, watching Alex’s reaction.

“That doesn’t explain the photo shoot.”

“That’s easy. People read the words and then see the pictures. The pictures will be visual proof of the bond you two have. I’ve seen you two interact with others and with each other. You’re the heart of this team. The fans will eat that up.”

Alex scoffed, causing both Lena and Kara to look at her. 

“Why are you so skeptical?” Kara sighed. She knew it was going to be difficult to get through this with Alex, but it would hopefully be worth it. Her sister was in a dark and moody place these days, and it seemed like there was no way to distract her. But maybe, just maybe, this would work. 

“It’s pictures, Kara. A photo shoot means staged pictures. How can that be authentic enough for them? No one will believe it.”

“People are more gullible than you think.” Lena shrugged. “Besides, once you see who we got to do the photo shoot, you’ll see how it can be authentic.”

A week later, the three of them headed to a studio in the downtown area of National City. Alex was about to ask who's studio it was, when a familiar face greeted them. 

"James!" Kara ran over to hug him. He greeted her with a happy grin. 

"Kara! How are you?" 

Lena looked between the Danvers sisters and James. Even Alex looked a little brighter once she saw him. "Do you… know each other?" 

"Yeah! James is an amazing photographer. He's a family friend." Kara smiled. 

"You mean…?" Lena remembered the highly public friendship between Clark Kent and James Olsen. 

"Clark is my cousin, my only biological family. Any friend of his is a friend of ours. Plus, James is awesome." 

"That's nice of you, Kara." James smiled. "How are you, Alex?" 

Alex just shrugged. "I'm sure you've heard." 

"Your sister told me. But hey, maybe hanging out with us will make you feel a little better?" 

"I hope so." She nodded. For the first time since they'd met, Lena saw a hint of a genuine smile on Alex's face. Clearly, family was important to her. 

"So, James… Why don't you explain to them how the photo shoot is going to work?" Lena suggested. He nodded with a grin. 

"I promise, you guys will hardly know I'm here." He told them. "All I want you to do is talk, have fun, we've got some cool stuff you can do, video games and all that. I'm just gonna capture as many candid photos as I can and we'll see what happens." 

Alex raised an eyebrow, not looking too convinced. Still, she nodded and went to join her sister to play some video games. James worked around them seamlessly, getting as many pictures as he could. He wasn't at all surprised by Alex's transformation from quiet and moody to laughing and goofing off, he knew her too well. Lena, on the other hand, was stunned. She wasn't sure Alex was even capable of laughing, but now it was clear. Whatever had happened to make her so upset, close friends and family cheered her up. She wondered who it was that Alex had lost. She didn't want to pry, so she didn't ask. Alex seemed pretty closed off about it anyways. 

They took a lunch break some time later and the mood was a lot brighter than it had been before. Of course, that all changed once Lena began the interviews. Kara's had gone smoothly. Her sweet and supportive personality made her perfect for it, and it made her seem like a great sister, which was the whole point. Alex's, on the other hand, went south quickly. As soon as she was removed from Kara, she began to grow suspicious and cold again. Asking her questions was almost pointless, she deflected them as soon as possible. 

"Was it hard to get to know Kara, considering you were already thirteen by the time she was adopted?" 

"What kind of a question is that?" 

"Just a question, Alex. Even from just today, I can tell that Kara is the most important person in your life. I just want to know if that was immediate or if it took a long time to get where you are." 

"What does it matter? We're very close now. That's it." Alex replied. 

"Alex…" 

"It was hard, okay? It was really hard. Apparently, I suck at personal relationships, so why would this one be any different?" Alex snapped. "I hated her when she first got here. I was jealous. She was better than me at everything, how else was I supposed to feel?" 

"You didn't take being a big sister in stride?" Lena asked, suddenly aware that she might have pushed too far. 

"No. No, I didn't. Are you happy now? You wanted the truth, but it's not as pretty as Kara paints it." 

Lena just nodded. She thought about Alex's answer. Her comment about relationships made her wonder if Alex felt like she had ruined her own. 

"It's useful to have both sides of the truth." She said simply. Alex narrowed her eyes slightly, then nodded and looked away. 

"What other questions do you have?"

"Who got into soccer first, you or Kara?" 

"Kara, actually. It was the one situation where it was the older sister wanting to be part of everything the little sister did, not the other way around." Alex said. She still wasn't looking at Lena, but her shoulders relaxed as she told the story. "Kara came home from high school one day, going on and on about this sport at school she wanted to try, because it reminded her of something similar that her relatives had taught her. I was still pretty focused on academics at the time, so I didn't think much of it. But then I went to one of her games with my parents, and everything changed. I saw how competitive the girls were, how talented they were. I couldn't figure out how they managed to get that stupid ball so far across the field. And…. I wanted to do that. So, I did. The next season, I played, too. We both played in college and we both got picked for the National City team. I owe everything to Kara. Soccer made me feel happier and more in control of my life than anything else did. And she brought soccer into my life." 

There was complete silence in the room, not even the sound of Lena's pen scratching on her notepad. Alex looked up, startled by the quiet. She found the other woman staring at her with rapt attention. 

"What?" She asked, her head tilted slightly to one side in confusion. Lena blinked and shook her head. 

"You're, uh… a great storyteller. That's all. You're a really incredible storyteller. Can I quote you on the entire story? The… the fans would love it." 

Alex nodded. "Sure. I don't see why not." She looked at Lena a moment longer. "Your eyes look like emeralds. Pretty." 

Now, it was Lena's turn to look confused. "You noticed the color of my eyes?" 

"I'm not flirting or whatever, don't worry. I was trying to figure out why you were staring at me, and the color caught my eye. That's all." Alex said. There was tension in her body again. After a long moment, she stood abruptly and left the room.

Lena watched her go, more and more confused by the moment. Why was she blushing so hard at Alex thinking her eyes were pretty? And what had caused Alex to tense up so much? Perhaps she'd never know. Or, perhaps she'd find out sooner than she thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love so far! I can't wait to see what you think of this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks after the photo shoot and interview, it was released to the public. In that time, Kara and Lena had become close friends, while Alex had started avoiding both of them. Lena, having not seen anything but this sort of behavior from Alex, wasn't sure what to make of it. Kara, on the other hand, was deeply concerned. Every time she tried to talk to her sister, Alex shut her down. This was a million miles from the sister she knew and loved. The release date of the interview was the breaking point. Alex hadn't shown up for practice the night before, and now they had a game to play. Knowing that they needed Alex back in time, J'onn sent Kara to go get her. On a whim, Kara brought Lena. 

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to be there." Lena said as they rode the subway towards the neighborhood where Alex was staying. 

"Actually, I think it's the opposite. I think you might be able to get her to come to her senses." 

"What makes you say that? She barely knows me, and she acts like she hates me." 

Kara was quiet for a moment. "I don't think she hates you. You got her to open up during that interview, even if only for a few moments. It's more than she's opened up to anyone the past few months. I think… I think she's scared."

"Of me? I know I'm a Luthor and half of my family is in prison, but I'm not scary." 

"It's not that. She's afraid to trust someone again. And she's starting to trust you, somehow. Lena, did the tabloids ever say anything about why she went on that drinking spree?" 

"No?" Lena looked confused. "But I'm guessing you're about to tell me." 

"Right. A couple of months ago, she went through a really bad breakup. She'd had a girlfriend for a long time, the woman who helped her come out a few years ago. They were engaged." 

"Oh. So, something happened to make them break the engagement?" 

"Yeah… There were certain things they couldn't compromise on. And those are things that are up to her to tell you, that's not my place. But they were pretty serious, and she was devastated. She started drinking again. It was bad. It still is bad. She's not herself these days. But she opened up a little to you, so maybe… maybe she trusts you enough to get her to the game on time." 

Lena didn't say much the rest of the way there. It wasn't exactly something easy to process, and she didn't want to say anything that might give away her potential feelings. She didn't understand them herself, so accidentally revealing them for someone else to make assumptions with wasn't really on her agenda. 

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Alex's door. Kara knocked on the door, loudly. There was a good chance that Alex was hungover again, so the noise would bother her enough to wake her up. 

"Alex? It's Kara. Are you okay in there?" The blonde called through the door. There was a loud  _ thud _ , then footsteps. A moment later, the door opened just a crack. Barely half of Alex's face was visible between the door and the doorframe, but she looked disheveled. 

"What is it?" Alex said quietly. "I'm not going to the stupid game." 

"Alex, we need you there. You know you're one of our best players." Her sister said softly. Alex shook her head. 

"Doesn't matter. You'll be fine without me. And even if you're not, I'm sure Lena can find a way to spin it so that we still look good. That's her job, isn't it?" At the last words, Alex redirected her tired gaze to Lena, who had been standing there quietly, unsure what to do. "Why's Lena even here?" 

Lena opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. Surely, she couldn't tell the truth about it. Luckily, Kara came to her rescue. 

"In case there were paparazzi or press around. We're trying to cover your ass, Alex."

"Well, don't. I don't need babysitting."

"Clearly, you do. Can you let us in? Please?" Kara sighed. There was a beat of silence as they all looked at each other, waiting for something to happen. Finally, the door opened fully and Alex stepped aside. 

"Come on in." Alex headed into the room and cleaned up the coffee table, moving a few beer bottles from the night before. Kara watched with a frown. She hadn't seen Alex like this in a long time. Not since the spiral after their father had died. 

"Do I need to make you go to therapy again?" She asked. Alex scoffed at that. 

"Nah, I'm good. I'll feel better eventually, Kara, I'm fine. Really I am. Now, did J'onn send you here? To come get me before the game?" 

"He sent me, yes. But I asked Lena to come with me. Y'know, to handle the press and stuff…" 

"And I wanted to be here." Lena said, speaking for the first time since they'd gotten. That surprised Alex enough to turn away from what she was doing to look at them, then her gaze fixed steadily on Lena. 

"I see. Why? So you could see first-hand how National City's soccer star is a disappointment in real life?" 

"No." Lena said, her tone calm and collected, despite the worry she could feel in her chest. "No, I'm here so that I can help you. There is something else beneath that tough facade you keep up. I don't know what it is, but I know that you're hardly a disappointment." 

"You don't know me. You don't know anything." Alex murmured, starting to wander around the room to find something. 

"You're right, I don't. But I'd like to. You deserve a friend who's willing to look beyond what's on the surface." 

"Is that what we are? Friends?" 

"Well, I'd hope we can become friends. Contrary to your belief, people actually care about you. I believe in you, Alex. Whether you like it or not." 

"Be careful what you believe in." Alex said, gesturing vaguely to the bottles that were now in the sink. She was still sifting through her drawers, looking for something, so she barely looked up. 

"From what Kara's told me, you are the kindest, most loving, most protective and understanding and smart person in the whole world. The whole universe, even. So, yeah, I'm gonna believe in you no matter what." 

Alex had ducked into the bathroom by then, not responding to Lena's words. The other two women glanced at each other in confusion. Lena was mostly confused about Alex's actions, while Kara was confused solely by Lena. As far as the blonde could tell, there was nothing in this for Lena. Whatever relationship or friendship she was seeking, was totally one sided. Sure, Alex had opened up to Lena one time. But Alex hadn't yet done anything for Lena, certainly not supported her in the ways that Lena was currently doing. It didn't make sense. And, truthfully, it didn't make sense to Lena either. But she still felt something for the often hungover soccer player. 

A minute or so later, Alex returned to the room, wearing her soccer uniform. It was wrinkled and rumpled, but she was wearing it, nonetheless. 

"Are you gonna come to the game?" Kara asked, her eyes lighting up. Alex just shrugged and nodded. 

"You're both hard to say no to." She muttered and grabbed her stuff, then shoved past them out the door. Kara and Lena followed, just as confused as they were when they got there.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, we learn why Alex is so bothered by the interview being released, and she finds herself reciprocating Lena's want to be "friends".


End file.
